Witnesses told police that 45-year-old Douglas Carroll Williams was upset that his lease was not renewed, and started yelling, stomping and screaming. Witnesses said Williams was throwing items off the balcony to the ground below.

"It goes from a police dispute with them still responding to all of a sudden now he's set his apartment on fire,” West Des Moines Fire Marshal Mike Whitsell said.

Investigators think Williams used a pile of clothes and paper to set the fire. When officers arrived, they noticed heavy smoking coming from Williams’ apartment, and neighbors trying to put out the fire with fire extinguishers.

"It sounds like as he set the fire in the apartment, his door was open, so they could see it,” Whitesell said. “They could see the smoke, and then he started yelling that he had set the building on fire as he was fleeing from the scene."

Officers alerted fire officials, who arrived and put out the fire in the apartment. Police and fire officials could not locate Williams.

Police said Williams returned to the apartment around 6 p.m., and was arrested by police and charged with first-degree arson.

Williams is being held in the Polk County Jail without bail.

No one was injured in the fire. There was no initial estimate on damage to the apartment.